Frogs/Toads

Mexicolore’s “Frogs and Toads” (Renee McGarry) explores how frogs (smooth-skinned creatures that live in a wet environment) were a protein in the Nahua diet but toads (with bumpy, warty skin, and preferring a dry climate) were more important in Nahua religious thought. The latter secreted poisons that were sometimes ingested to induce a hallucinogenic state that was important in rituals.

Visit Justin Kerr’s Maya Vase Data Base and do a search for “frog” or “toad” — then scroll and review the images. You have permission to copy the images into PowerPoints for educational purposes.